


The Christmas We Deserve

by tea_and_oranges



Category: Ballum, EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Ballum Christmas (Eastenders), Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-29
Updated: 2019-12-29
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21946747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tea_and_oranges/pseuds/tea_and_oranges
Summary: Ever since EE decided to cancel Christmas for us Ballum fans I've had a few scenarios in my head around what Christmas might have been like for our boys if Ben had remained blissfully unaware and uninvolved in the whole Sheanu saga. I started writing this as therapy after tonight's episode and as usual, it turned out to be a lot longer in writing than in my head, so I'm posting this for now and will try to finish it tomorrow or Boxing Day.Happy Christmas! 🎄❤
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 2
Kudos: 105





	1. Chapter 1

🎵 “So here it iiiiiisssss, Merry Christmassh...”🎵  
Callum suddenly burst into song, adjusting his Santa hat over his head as he and Ben stumbled out of the Prince Albert and set off unsteadily down the street. They propped each other up as they walked, Ben’s arm around Callum’s waist, Callum’s arm draped around Ben’s neck, Ben’s hand reaching up to hold on to Callum’s. They’d gone for a quick Christmas Eve drink in the Albert in an attempt to avoid getting roped in to Ian and Kathy’s military style preparations for Christmas day at the Beale house but one drink had led to another and it was now almost midnight and they were both more than a little inebriated, Callum more so than Ben. 

“We need chips,” Ben said determinedly, as he steered a still singing Callum towards the chippy. 

🎵”Look to the future noooow, it’s only just beguuuun...”🎵

“Callum,” Ben said, laughing as he pushed Callum gently up against the wall of the chippy. “Callum, shut up for a minute and listen to me.”

“What?” Callum asked, smiling down at Ben with an inquisitive smile, his eyes soft and glazed from drink. Ben smiled back and pulled Callum by his jacket.

“You are a man of many, many talents.” Ben leaned in and placed a loud, drunken kiss on Callum’s mouth. “But trust me, babe, singing ain’t one of them.”

Callum pouted moodily but with a twinkle in his eye that let Ben know he wasn’t offended.

“I’m just happy. Okay, so I’m a little bit drunk...”

“A little bit?” Ben laughed.

“Yeah but I’m happy. It’s Christmas Eve, and my gorgeous boyfriend’s buying me chips.”

“Who says I’m buying?” Ben smirked and raised his eyebrow.

“It was your idea.”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who needs a carb fix to soak up the drink.”

“You ain’t exactly sober.”

“Yeah but I’m not a lightweight like you.”

“You weren’t calling me that last night,” Callum winked, sliding his arms around Ben’s waist and pulling him up against him. 

“Completely different context, babe,” Ben smirked, running his tongue expectantly between his lips as Callum leaned forward and they shared a deep, lingering kiss, oblivious to the noisy merriment of the people around them.

“Look at us, eh?” Callum giggled shyly as they pulled apart. “Snogging outside the chip shop like a pair of teenagers.”

“It’s your fault for being so sexy,” Ben said. “Even in a Santa hat,” he added, with an affectionate roll of his eyes, before taking Callum’s hand and pulling him towards the entrance to the chippy. 

They sat on the bench outside the chip shop, sobering up slightly as they ate their chips in contented silence. Ben rested his head on Callum’s shoulder as Callum held his arm protectively around Ben. A group of revellers walked past, belting out the chorus to “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" and Ben let out a groan.

“Ugh. Christmas every day? I can’t think of anything worse.”

“Aw, don’t be such a grinch,” Callum said, nudging him playfully.

“Sorry,” Ben said quietly. “I’m just not really a Christmassy person.”

“How come?”

“I dunno...” Ben sighed. “I guess most of my Christmas memories revolve around it all kicking off with my family. Usually because of Dad...”

“Sounds pretty much like mine,” Callum said, pulling Ben close to him and comfortingly rubbing his arm. 

“Sorry,” Ben repeated. “I didn’t mean to bring your mood down too. Just ignore me. You know I can get a bit maudlin when I’ve had a drink.”

“S'okay,” Callum murmured, kissing the top of Ben’s head. “We’ve got each other now. We can make new Christmas memories together.”

“Yeah,” Ben smiled happily. “Though we’ll be lucky if we manage to grab five minutes to ourselves tomorrow.”

Ben had wanted to spend their first Christmas together alone with Callum in the flat but Callum had pointed out that he could hardly kick Stuart and Rainie out at Christmas and anyway, how was Ben going to explain to Lexi or the rest of his family that they wouldn’t be seeing him on Christmas day?  
After much discussion, Ben, Callum, Lola and Jay had finally decided that they would spend Christmas morning and have Christmas lunch at the Beales' so Lexi could open and play with her presents, then go over to the Mitchell house for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Phil had protested about them not having Christmas lunch at his house, he wanted the whole family together to celebrate baby Peggy’s birth and first Christmas but as Ben and Jay had pointed out, the Mitchells had enough to cope with. Having an extra five people to cater for would put even more stress on a heavily pregnant Sharon. Phil had finally relented and accepted their plans with as much good grace as he’d ever been known to muster.

“We'll make time for each other as well...somehow,” Callum promised, kissing Ben on the cheek. Ben snuggled closer to Callum on the bench, his fingers tracing seemingly random patterns on Callum’s thigh. 

“Did you mean what you said earlier? About being happy?”

“Yeah, of course. You and me, together, celebrating our first Christmas...what’s not to be happy about?”

Ben smiled to himself and lifted his head to look at Callum, placing his hand tenderly on his cheek.

“Callum....I...” Ben began hesitantly, wondering if this was the time to formulate the three words that had been on the tip of his tongue for a while now but he hadn’t found the courage or the right moment to say out loud. But no, this wasn’t the right time either, he told himself, not when they were both the worse for drink.

“I...I’m really happy too,” he said finally, drawing Callum towards him for a warm, tender kiss. 

They finished eating their chips and Callum scrunched up the empty wrappers into a ball before tossing it in the direction of the bin. He missed the target completely, the paper ball falling into the road as Ben started laughing. 

“You really have had a skinful, haven’t you?” he chuckled as Callum got to his feet and stumbled unsteadily to pick up the chip wrapper ball before dropping it carefully inside the bin. 

“Sorted,” Callum said, looking pleased with himself as he held on to the side of the bin to steady himself.

Ben got up and walked over to Callum, stumbling slightly as he put his arms around his neck while Callum wrapped his arms around Ben’s waist to keep them both upright.

“Come on, let’s get back to mine,” Ben smiled invitingly, flicking the white bobble on Callum’s Santa hat. “I want to unwrap that big package you’ve got for me.”

“What?” 

“Well, I’ve been a good boy, haven’t I?” Ben smirked, running his fingers down Callum’s neck and over the front of his jacket. 

“Oh...” 

“Take your time, Callum,” Ben said wryly, rolling his eyes fondly at his boyfriend. 

Callum's lips broke into a smile as his drink addled mind suddenly realised that Ben wasn’t talking about the gift sitting in the small blue bag under the tree in the Beales' living room.

~

“Hurry up!” Callum urged as he stood behind Ben by the back door of the Beale house, kissing his neck as Ben fumbled with his keys. 

“Stop distracting me then,” Ben said, closing his eyes and leaning back into Callum’s embrace before letting out a groan of frustration as he felt his keys slip out of his hand and onto the ground. Ben bent down to pick them up, causing Callum to topple forward and send them both crashing against the door. They held each other up, giggling and shushing each other loudly, as the light suddenly came on in the kitchen and the door opened to reveal Jay shaking his head at them.

“Look at the state of you two,” Jay smiled with a roll of his eyes.

“It’s Christmas, bruv,” Ben said by way of explanation as he and Callum stumbled into the kitchen.

“Nice hat,” Lola smiled at Callum from the living room doorway before taking a bottle of wine from the fridge as Jay removed four glasses from the cupboard. They all walked into the living room, the room dimly lit with the lights from the tree twinkling on and off. A mountain of colourfully wrapped presents lay under the tree.

“Ooh look, Santa’s been,” Callum grinned excitedly. 

“Yeah,” Lola said, with a pointed look at Ben. “Thanks for leaving me and Jay to put all the presents out.”

“Yeah, well, I did my bit by paying for most of it,” Ben shrugged. “It’s called teamwork, Lola.”

“Whatever,” Lola shook her head but smiled affectionately at Ben. “Anyway, Lexi is going to be one happy little girl in the morning, that’s all that matters.”

“I'll drink to that,” Jay said, opening the bottle of wine and pouring it into the glasses. The four of them raised their glasses and clinked them together as they chorused a loud “Merry Christmas!” before Jay sat down on the armchair, pulling Lola into his lap as Ben and Callum cuddled up together on the sofa. 

“Does Lexi still believe in Santa, then?” Callum asked, taking a sip of his wine.

“Nah,” Lola chuckled. “She goes along with it cos she loves all the excitement but she figured it out years ago, when she noticed all her toys said ‘made in China' and not ‘made in the North Pole'. I told her that the elves were so busy they had to outsource some of the work but she wasn’t falling for it.”

“That’s my girl,” Ben said proudly. “She’s a smart little cookie.”

“Only cos she gets her brains from her mum,” Lola smirked as Ben threw a cushion at her in reply. 

“Speaking of Santa's elves,” Jay said suddenly, reaching out towards the coffee table. “Look what I found down the back of the sofa earlier. Yours, I believe?” 

He picked up the elf ears that Callum had won at the Christmas fair and tossed them over towards Ben and Callum on the sofa.

“Oh, I wondered where they’d got to” Callum grinned, turning towards Ben with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“No, no, no,” Ben protested, wriggling away from Callum towards the other end of the sofa. 

“But you look so cute with them on,” Callum insisted, shifting to follow Ben across the sofa. Ben held his arms protectively over his head as Callum tried to place the elf ears on him, the two of them laughing as they play fought, oblivious to Jay and Lola in the chair next to them.

“Gotcha!” Callum grinned triumphantly as he finally managed to push the elf ears down onto Ben’s head, pinning Ben’s arms to the sofa so he couldn’t remove them, before bending his head to kiss him. 

“Oh, get a room, you two,” Jay grimaced. 

“Yeah,” Lola nodded in agreement. “Helping with your police training was one thing but I ain’t sitting here watching you do Santa and his naughty elf role play.”

Ben and Callum looked at each other, their eyes full of playful desire. 

“You heard the lady,” Callum said, lifting himself off Ben and pulling him to his feet.

“Well, I heard Lola...”

“Oi!” Lola exclaimed indignantly and leaned forward to give Ben a shove, sending him tumbling against Callum. 

“She’s right though,” Ben said as he felt Callum’s arms circling his waist. “Time for bed.” 

Ben and Callum downed the remaining contents of their wine glasses, bid Jay and Lola goodnight, and made their way hand in hand up the stairs, kissing and giggling in a drunken but happy haze. They crashed through the door of Ben’s room and tumbled onto the bed, Ben falling onto his back and wrapping his arms around Callum’s neck. 

“Right then, Santa,” he grinned. “Do you want me to be naughty or nice?” 

Callum opened his mouth then closed it again quickly. He swallowed hard and pulled away from Ben.

“I’m sorry...” he muttered, holding his hand to his mouth. “I’m gonna be sick.” 

“Charming,” Ben muttered, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling as Callum ran out of the bedroom. 

“Lightweight,” Ben scoffed to himself with a fond smile, pulling off his jeans and unbuttoning his shirt as the sound of Callum throwing up filtered through from the bathroom. 

“Sorry about that,” Callum said as he walked back into the bedroom some ten minutes later, feeling bright and sober after purging the alcohol from his stomach and brushing his teeth. Ben lay under the duvet, his eyes closed, the elf ears still on his head. 

“Ben?” 

Callum climbed onto the bed and stroked Ben’s cheek.

“Ben?” he repeated softly but Ben’s eyes remained closed, his only response a soft snoring sound. 

“So I’m the lightweight, am I?” Callum said to himself with a wry smile. He quickly got undressed down to his boxers, pulled on a t-shirt from his overnight bag and got into bed, removing the elf ears from Ben's head and drawing his sleeping body close to him. 

“Merry Christmas, gorgeous,” he whispered in Ben’s ear. Then his lips formed the words he didn’t yet dare say out loud, but he’d lately found himself mouthing against Ben’s skin whenever they made love. “I love you,” he silently breathed into Ben’s hair.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay in finishing this. I got ill on Boxing day (nothing serious, just a flu-type thing) and haven't felt up to writing until today. I wasn't sure if I should bother tbh as it's a bit late now for a Christmas fic but I hate leaving things unfinished so here it is anyway.

Ben and Callum awoke the following morning to the bedroom door bursting open and Lexi jumping onto the bed.

“It’s Christmas!!” she yelled excitedly. “Wake up, Dad!! I want to see if Santa’s been!”

“Hey, Merry Christmas, Lexi,” Callum smiled sleepily at her.

“Merry Christmas, Callum,” Lexi replied, giving him a hug. “Can we go downstairs and see if Santa’s been?”

“You'd better ask your dad about that.”

“Ugh,” Ben groaned. “Why don’t you go and wake your mum, there’s a good girl.”

“I tried but she said I have to wait til seven o'clock.”

“What time is it?” Ben asked. 

Callum glanced at his phone. 

“6.45. Only fifteen more minutes,” he said to Lexi.

“Ohhh that’s long,” Lexi whined, pouting as she sat down on the bed and crossed her arms. 

Ben leaned over and whispered in Callum’s ear. 

“Long enough for us to pick up where we left off last night?” 

He then turned to Lexi and said “Why don’t you go and wake up Nanny Kathy and uncle Ian, you can help them to get some breakfast on?” 

“They’re already up but they said I can’t go downstairs until you and mum say so.”

“Right,” Ben sighed, flopping back onto the pillow. “Guess I'll have to wait for my special present then,” he added with a wink at Callum. 

“What time is it now?” Lexi asked. 

“Thirteen minutes to seven,” Callum replied. 

Lexi sighed impatiently and buried her head in her hands. 

“Good things come to those who wait, sweetheart,” Callum said in an effort to cheer her up, with a sideways smile at Ben.

“I’ve been waiting all year!” Lexi replied grumpily.

Callum looked at her thoughtfully and turned to Ben.

“What if Santa had given me an extra present for Lexi and asked me to give it to her? Do you think it would be okay for her to have it now?”

“What present?” Ben frowned, staring curiously at Callum. 

“Oh, it’s nothing much, just a little something I...er, I mean Santa, thought she might like.”

“Oh, babe, you didn’t have to,” Ben said, gazing tenderly at Callum, touched by his gesture.

“Oh, please can I have it now? Pleeeeease,” Lexi begged excitedly.

“Go on then,” Ben smiled. 

“Okay, pass me my backpack please, Lexi,” Callum said. 

Lexi picked up Callum’s backpack off the floor and handed it to him. He rummaged around and pulled out a pink glittery gift bag which he handed to Lexi.

“What do you say?” Ben asked sternly before she had a chance to open it. 

“Thank you, Callum,” Lexi said before pulling the bag open. Inside was a white, flat box. Lexi lifted the lid and gasped with delight as she saw it contained a silver necklace with a sparkling pendant in the shape of a letter ‘L'. 

“Oh, look Dad, it’s a diamond necklace, like real princesses wear!” she exclaimed.

“Well, you are a real princess, ain’t ya?” Callum smiled. 

“That’s really lovely,” Ben said, squeezing Callum’s hand and kissing his cheek.

“Yeah, thank you, Callum. You’re the best!” Lexi threw herself into Callum’s arms and hugged him as he and Ben smiled at each other over her head. Callum fastened the necklace around Lexi’s neck and he and Ben watched happily as she admired herself wearing it in the mirror before rushing off to show Lola. 

“Thank you, babe. You didn’t have to get her anything,” Ben said, smiling up at Callum.

“It’s no big deal. It’s not actually made of real diamonds.”

“I know that. But it is a big deal. Come here,” Ben kissed Callum tenderly before pulling him into a hug.  
“It means the world to me, you know, the way you’ve just accepted Lexi into your life.”

“She’s a great kid,” Callum smiled. “And she’s part of you, Ben. How could I not find her adorable?”

“Well, she does have her father’s irresistible charm and good looks,” Ben smirked. He closed his eyes, moving in for a kiss, but before his lips reached Callum’s the door flew open again and Lexi reappeared.

“It’s seven o'clock! We can go downstairs now! Hurry up!!” she shouted excitedly before racing down the stairs.

“Still think she’s adorable?” Ben said with a rueful smile.

“Of course. But she could work on her timing,” Callum replied as he and Ben got out of bed and quickly got dressed.

“As soon as we’re done with the present opening, we're going straight back to bed,” Ben said, kissing Callum’s lips before they headed downstairs. 

Ben and Callum joined Ian, Kathy, Jay, Lola and Bobby in the living room as they all shared Lexi’s excitement at opening her presents, cheering and laughing as she squealed with delight at every gift she unwrapped. Once she had finished, Callum and Jay set about clearing the discarded wrapping paper off the living room floor while Ian and Kathy prepared breakfast of tea, coffee and toast, following Ian’s insistence that no one was to have a big breakfast so as not to ruin their appetite for Christmas dinner. The adults then exchanged presents, amid more laughter and hugs and kisses of appreciation. Callum picked up the blue gift bag from under the tree and handed it to Ben.

“Happy Christmas, gorgeous,” he smiled, sitting down next to Ben as he opened his gift.

“I know it’s not very original but I didn’t know what to get you,” Callum said shyly as Ben unwrapped the brown wallet with his initials engraved on the front. 

“I love it,” Ben smiled. “Thank you, babe,” he added, planting a kiss on Callum’s lips.

“Look inside,” Callum said.

Ben opened the wallet and saw the picture of himself and Lexi. He remembered Callum taking it on his phone a week or so before but hadn’t thought anything of it at the time. His mouth broke into a wide smile and he felt tears of emotion gathering in his eyes. 

“Thank you,” he said again, cupping Callum’s face with his hands. “That’s the most thoughtful gift anyone’s ever given me.”

“You sure you like it?” 

“I love it,” Ben insisted. “In fact, I’m going to start using it right now.”

Ben got up and fetched his old wallet from his coat pocket and set about moving his cards and cash over to his new wallet.

“Does it all fit okay?” Callum asked.

“Perfectly,” Ben smiled. “Although...”

“What?” Callum asked anxiously. “I can take it back if there’s something wrong.”

“No, no,” Ben quickly assured him. “It’s just...Lexi, come over here a minute, baby.”

Lexi ran over to Ben, who picked her up and placed her so she was sitting on both Ben and Callum’s knees. Ben then got out his phone and took a selfie of the three of them together. 

“I'll get that printed later,” Ben said. “You don’t mind, do you?”

“No, of course not,” Callum smiled. “I did think of using a pic with me in it as well, but I thought you probably wouldn’t want to see my ugly mug every time you go to buy something.”

“Callum...” Ben sighed affectionately at him. “Number one, you are not ugly. And number two, I could never get enough of seeing your beautiful, sexy face.” 

Ben pulled Callum towards him and they melted into a deep, heartfelt kiss, oblivious to all around them.

“So, you said we were going to go back to bed,” Callum whispered in Ben’s ear when they pulled apart. 

“I did, didn’t I? Come on,” Ben grinned lustfully as they both got to their feet. Before they could make a move, Lola turned to them both.

“So, Ben, what did you get Callum?”

“Oh...” Ben said, looking apologetically at Callum. “I forgot to bring your present down from upstairs. Well, I mean, it’s at the car lot but...”

“Oh Ben!” Kathy exclaimed, shaking her head reproachfully . “I can’t believe you forgot to get Callum a present. I’m disappointed in you.”

“I didn’t forget,” Ben protested. “It’s just...”

“It’s okay,” Callum reassured him. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“I _have_ got you something,” Ben insisted.

“Yeah, right,” Jay said sarcastically. “You’re going to shoot out the door in a minute to try and find a shop that’s open.”

“No, actually. I...”

Ben was interrupted by Ian clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Right, listen up everyone! I need all hands on deck to get Christmas dinner sorted.”

Everyone groaned as Ian began allocating tasks.

“Mum, you can help me prepare the turkey. Ben, you can peel the potatoes. Jay and Lola, you’re in charge of preparing the veg. Bobby, you can wrap the pigs in blankets...”

Bobby frowned at Ian who quickly backtracked awkwardly.

“Er...yeah, maybe not. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Okay, you can swap with Ben. And Callum, I need you to do the stuffing.”

“That’s exactly what I was going to say,” Ben smirked at Callum, running his tongue over his bottom lip as Callum blushed and tried to supress a knowing grin. Ben took Callum’s hand and led him towards the stairs past a dumbfounded Ian.

“Where are you two going? This is a team effort, I need everyone to...” Ian’s voice trailed off as Ben pulled Callum up the stairs. 

Once inside the bedroom, Callum turned to Ben and pulled him close, claiming his mouth with a hungry, longing kiss and steering him towards the bed.

“Wait,” Ben said, pulling away reluctantly from the kiss. “I need to give you your present.”

“I thought this was my present?” Callum frowned, tugging at the waist of Ben’s jeans.

“You didn’t really think I forgot to get you a Christmas present, did you?” Ben asked, opening the bedside table drawer. He took out a large red envelope, clearly containing a Christmas card, and handed it to Callum. 

“Oh...I didn’t get you a card. Sorry, I didn’t think,” Callum apologised.

“It’s fine. Just open it.”

Callum ripped the envelope open and pulled out the card. It featured a teddy bear in a Santa hat, surrounded by hearts, and the words “To My Boyfriend” in gold letters on the front. 

“Sorry it’s a bit tacky,” Ben said bashfully. “Lexi saw it in the Minute Mart and insisted I get it for you.”

“It’s sweet,” Callum smiled. He opened the card and a folded piece of paper fell out but Callum turned his attention to the message inside the card. Underneath the schmaltzy printed verse Ben had written simply:

_“To Callum,_

_Happy Christmas_

_Ben X"_

“I never know what to write in cards,” Ben said awkwardly.

“Sometimes words aren’t needed,” Callum smiled as he placed the card on the bedside table. He noticed the piece of paper that had fallen out of the envelope and picked it up. He looked at it for a moment before turning to Ben.

“It’s a log book,” Callum said with a confused frown.

“Yeah,” Ben replied simply. “For your car.”

“What?” Callum stared at Ben in disbelief. “You...you got me a car?!” 

“Happy Christmas, babe,” Ben gave Callum a brief kiss on the lips and reached into the bedside table for a set of car keys which he handed to Callum. 

“I...I don’t know what to say.” Callum stared at the car keys. “I can’t accept this, Ben. It’s too much.”

He handed the keys back to Ben but Ben placed them back in the palm of Callum’s hand and folded his fingers over them. 

“No it’s not. Nothing’s too much for you. Please, Callum, I want you to have it.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Callum repeated, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Well, it’s not a Ferrari or anything, but it’s a decent motor and it’s 100% legit, I promise.” 

“I still can’t believe it...you got me a car?”

“Come and have a look at it then, maybe that’ll convince you. It’s over at the car lot.”

~

“So, what do you think?”

Callum smiled as he took in the sight of the silver car, its windscreen and mirrors framed with red tinsel. 

“Well, I don’t know much about cars but yeah, I love it. Thank you.” 

“So am I forgiven then?” Ben asked.

“Forgiven? What for?”

“For that business with the dodgy van,” Ben said shamefacedly. 

“Oh, that. I forgave you for that ages ago. It’s all forgotten about.”

“I still shouldn’t have done that to you though. It was out of order. I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay. Like I said, forgiven and forgotten. I mean, if it hadn’t been for that van you and me might never have got together so I reckon it was worth it.”

“I hadn’t thought about it like that. Who says crime doesn’t pay?” Ben smirked.

“Ben...” Callum said, frowning slightly at him.

“I’m only messing,” Ben said softly. “And I do feel bad about ripping you off, so please just let me make it up to you with this.”

“This more than makes up for it,” Callum smiled, standing back to admire the car.

“Aren’t you going to get in then?” Ben asked.

Callum unlocked the car and got in the driver’s seat, adjusting it slightly as Ben got in next to him and put his seatbelt on. 

“So, we going for a spin or what?” Ben asked keenly.

“I can’t drive right now, not after the amount I had to drink last night. I'd fail a breath test if I got stopped.”

“Aw, come on, you’ll be fine,” Ben tried to persuade Callum but then stopped himself. He wasn’t going to be responsible for potentially jeopardising Callum’s career prospects.

“No, you’re right. It ain’t worth the risk,” Ben said firmly.

“First thing tomorrow though,” Callum said decisively. “I'll go easy on the booze today and we can go for a drive tomorrow, have a day out somewhere maybe? Unless you’ve already got plans?”

“No but if I did, I’d cancel them,” Ben smiled, leaning in to kiss Callum. 

They got out of the car and Ben waited patiently while Callum took several pictures of it on his phone, before they walked back hand in hand to the Beale house.

“Here he is!” Kathy exclaimed tipsily as Ben walked through the door. “My beautiful baby boy!”

“Mum...” Ben groaned with embarrassment as Kathy pinched his cheeks.

“And my lovely future son-in-law,” Kathy continued, planting a kiss on Callum’s cheek. 

“Son-in-law?” Ian spun around to look at them. “Have you two got engaged?” 

“No, no, of course not,” Ben said quickly. “Mum’s just had a little too much Christmas spirit, haven’t you?” 

“I’ve had one glass of sherry,” Kathy insisted. “Or maybe two. Anyway, I’m just saying...I’ve never been to a gay wedding before. Ooh, I know, you could have it at the Albert. I'll get a licence and we can...”

“Mum, please, stop!” Ben said, mortified and not daring to look at Callum, who was blushing slightly but smiling at the same time.

“I’m just saying...you’ve got a good thing going here. You don’t want to let him get away.”

“Yeah, thanks Mum, but I think I'll pass on taking relationship advice from you,” Ben said, rolling his eyes as Kathy walked out of the kitchen singing “if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it" to herself.

“I’m so sorry about my embarrassing mother,” Ben said to Callum. 

“It’s fine,” Callum smiled. “It’s nice that she’s supportive of us.”

“Shame you two couldn’t have been more supportive of me,” Ian started grumbling. “I had to do the stuffing and pigs in blankets myself and it’s messed up all my timings.”

“Sorry, Ian,” Ben and Callum both said contritely.

“Um...so when will dinner be ready, Ian?” Ben asked.

“About 45 minutes. It would’ve been sooner but I had to...”

“45 minutes...” Ben said, ignoring Ian and gazing invitingly at Callum.

“Hmm...what can we do to kill time?” Callum smiled, taking Ben’s hand and leading him out of the kitchen. They started going up the stairs when they heard Lexi’s voice calling them.

“Dad! Callum! Where are you going?”

“Me and your dad just need to...er...sort something out,” Callum said. “We'll be back down before dinner.”

“But I need you to help me,” Lexi pleaded.

“With what?” Ben asked.

“My Frozen castle,” Lexi said, pulling Ben towards the corner of the room where Jay and Lola sat on the floor in front of a pile of Lego bricks. “Mum and Jay are useless.”

“Don’t be so cheeky!” Lola scolded her daughter. “We’re trying our best here.”

“Yeah, you need a degree in architecture to figure out what goes where,” Jay said.

“Nah, you just need the instructions,” Callum replied, winking at Lexi as he pulled the instruction booklet out of the empty box.

“Off you go then,” Ben said, waving Jay and Lola away. “Leave it to the experts.” 

Ben and Callum sat down on the floor with Lexi and set about putting together the castle. Callum did most of the work, clearly enjoying himself as he guided Lexi through the process, while Ben helped by grouping the remaining bricks together by colour and size to make them easier to find. He found himself blinking back tears as he stole a glance at the two people who meant the most to him in the world, bonding and enjoying each other’s company. 

“Yay! We did it!” Lexi cried out excitedly as she placed the final piece on the top of the castle. She high-fived Ben and Callum before calling Lola and Jay over to see the finished result.

“Come on,” Ben said to Callum as they both got to their feet. “Upstairs, now.”

Callum raised his eyebrow at Ben’s demanding tone but before either of them could react Ian entered the living room and announced that dinner would be served in five minutes.

“Hold that thought,” Ben sighed as everyone took their places at the dinner table. 

Christmas dinner at the Beales' was a loud, lively but good-natured affair, with everyone enjoying the food and drink. Callum and Ben limited themselves to a glass of champagne each, mindful of their plans to go for a drive the following day. They joined in happily with the chatting and banter across the table whilst sharing little affectionate touches and glances with each other. Once the main course was over, Ian proudly brought in his piece de resistance, a homemade Christmas pudding, complete with flames lighting up the top. Ian had just finished cutting and serving it up when the back door opened and a voice called through from the kitchen. 

“Ho! Ho! Ho! Santa’s here to see baby Abi!”

Everyone looked up to see Stuart, dressed in a Santa outfit and holding up a bag of presents, with Rainie standing beside him. 

“Oh, we’re not too early, are we?” Stuart asked awkwardly.

“Early for what?” Ben asked.

“Max is bringing baby Abi over after they’ve had their Christmas dinner,” Kathy explained. “I said Stuart and Rainie could come over and spend some time with her.”

“Aw that’s nice,” Callum smiled. “How long are you staying?” 

“As long as Ian and Kathy will have us. Not a problem, is it?”

“No, of course not,” Callum assured him. “Quite the opposite, actually,” he added quietly, sharing a complicit look with Ben.

“We'll leave you to finish eating though and come back in a bit,” Stuart said to Kathy. “We don’t want to intrude.”

“Don’t be daft,” Kathy smiled. “It’s Christmas, you’re not intruding. Do you want some Christmas pudding?”

“Thanks, Kathy, that would be lovely,” Stuart said. 

“Actually, you can have mine,” Callum said, standing up and offering his seat to Stuart.

“Excuse me?” Ian said indignantly. “You’re not going to eat my Christmas pudding?” 

“It looks and smells delicious, Ian,” Callum said apologetically. “It’s just I’m full up from that amazing dinner.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ben said, getting to his feet. “Rainie, why don’t you have mine?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” Rainie said, sitting down at the table and picking up a spoon. 

“Well, me and Callum need to go out, so we’ll see you later,” Ben said as he and Callum headed for the door.

“What? Where are you going?!” Kathy asked.

“You’re not leaving cos of us are you, bruv?” Stuart asked Callum.

“No, no, of course not,” Callum assured him. “I...I just need to get something from the flat.”  
“What?” 

“My...um...my toothbrush.”

“But you've got a toothbrush here?” Kathy frowned.

“Yeah, I...er, I dropped it in the toilet this morning. You know how clumsy I am.”

“Yeah, he’s really clumsy,” Ben said, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly as he bustled Callum out the door. “Anyway, we’ll see you all later.” 

“Don’t forget we’re going round to Phil’s later,” Jay said.

“I know. We'll see you over there,” Ben called back to him as he and Callum grabbed their coats and left the house.

~

“Alone at last!” Ben sighed contentedly as he and Callum entered the flat. 

“Look at the state of this place!” Callum exclaimed, looking around with annoyance. Christmas paper and chocolate wrappers were strewn over the floor and sofa; dirty plates, glasses and the discarded remains of several Christmas crackers covered the table. The sink was piled high with baking trays, pots and pans and a distinct smell of burnt food permeated the flat. 

“They promised they’d clean up after themselves “ Callum huffed.

“Well to be fair, they weren’t expecting us to be back just yet. I'm sure they’ll tidy up later. Just chill, babe.” 

Ben planted a comforting kiss on Callum’s lips and headed towards the fridge to get them both a beer. He noticed a small bit of paper stuck to the fridge, which on closer inspection turned out to be a joke from a Christmas cracker. Ben read it and let out a sarcastic laugh.

“What?” Callum asked.

Ben pulled the piece of paper off the fridge and read the joke out to Callum.

“Why did the policeman fall asleep on the job? Because he was undercover.”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Callum groaned. 

“Well, your brother and Rainie obviously thought you’d find it hilarious.”

“My brother has a weird sense of humour.”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed,” Ben rolled his eyes and took two beers from the fridge, passing one to Callum before taking a sip of his own.

“Anyway, speaking of policemen falling asleep on the job...” Ben licked his lips and raised his hand to undo the top button of Callum’s shirt. “You’ve got some making up to do for last night.”

“Er...you were the one who fell asleep.”

“Well, technically, yes; but only cos you had to rush off and be sick.”

“Yeah, alright, don’t remind me,” Callum said, embarrassed. “So how do you want me to make it up to you?”

“Well, you’re the wannabe cop...” Ben smirked, biting his bottom lip. He picked up a Christmas cracker off the table and pointed it at Callum.

“I’ve got a loaded weapon here, officer. It could go off at any time. So how are you gonna handle the situation?”

“Well...” Callum said slowly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “I don’t want you to get over-excited and accidentally trigger an explosion.”

Ben bit his lip to stop himself laughing. He locked eyes with Callum, still pointing the Christmas cracker at him.

“So,” Callum continued, “I need you to stay calm. No sudden movements.”

Callum slowly started undoing the buttons on his shirt, his eyes fixed on Ben’s. He slid his hand down his chest and onto his belt buckle, noting how Ben's gaze had dropped and was now fixed on Callum’s hand as he started to slowly undo his belt. All of a sudden, Callum lunged forward, grabbing Ben’s arm and knocking the Christmas cracker out of his hand. Ben yelped with surprise then they both started laughing as Callum pinned Ben up against the bedroom door with his arm behind his back.

“Wow...” Ben gasped breathlessly. “I didn’t see that coming.”

“Distract the suspect, then take him by surprise,” Callum explained in a low voice, his mouth against Ben’s ear.

“Distracting me by getting your kit off isn’t exactly fair.”

“Well, if it gets a result...” Callum murmured into Ben’s ear, releasing his arm and turning Ben around to face him.

“Oh, you’ve definitely got a result,” Ben smiled, pushing his body up against Callum’s to prove his point, his hand reaching for Callum’s neck and drawing him into a kiss.

Callum reached behind Ben and opened the bedroom door, their mouths still locked together as they blindly found their way onto the bed. They undressed each other slowly, teasing each other’s exposed skin with their fingers and mouths amid moans and sighs of pleasure. The semi-darkness of the room, illuminated only by the soft light filtering through from the living room, infused their lovemaking with a warm, sensual intimacy, a pure sense of togetherness that bonded not only their bodies but their minds, hearts and souls.

“Wow...” Callum exhaled loudly as they held each in the warmth of the afterglow. “That was the best ever.”

“You say that every time,” Ben let out a soft, contented laugh.

“It’s true though. It just gets better every time. I mean, how is that even possible?”

“Well,” Ben smirked teasingly, propping himself up on his elbow to look at Callum. “When a boy and another boy love each other very much, they...”

Ben suddenly fell silent and lowered his gaze as he realised what he’d just said. He bit his lip nervously, not daring to look at Callum, until he felt Callum’s hand on his cheek, tilting his head up to force him to look at him.

“So are we talking about two hypothetical boys here or...?” Callum asked softly, his eyes burning into Ben’s.

Ben hesitated for a moment, lost in Callum’s eyes, torn between forcing the words back down or finally setting them free from his lips. Callum smiled tenderly at him, with an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement.

“No,” Ben said finally. “I’m talking about us. You and me...I love you, Callum.”

Callum felt tears sting his eyes as his mouth broke into a joyful smile.

“I love you too,” he said tenderly, cupping Ben’s face with his hands. “I love you so much,” he sighed into Ben’s mouth as their lips came together in a gentle, loving kiss. 

~

“So, you ready for your first Mitchell Christmas experience?” Ben asked as he and Callum dried themselves off after taking a shower and headed to the bedroom to get dressed.

“As I'll ever be,” Callum replied with a nervous smile.

“It’ll be fine,” Ben assured him with a squeeze of his hand. “But just in case, we need an escape plan. So, if it gets a bit much, I’ll squeeze your left knee twice and you say you need to use the bathroom and then you text me.”

“Text you what?”

“I dunno. Anything. Use your imagination,” Ben smirked, his eyes drifting to Callum’s groin.

“Okay, then what?”

“Then you come back downstairs and I tell you I’ve just had a text from the alarm monitoring service at the car lot and we have to go check it out.”

“And you reckon your dad will buy it?”

“We'll worry about that once we’re out of there.”

“It won’t be that bad, will it?” Callum asked apprehensively.

“Hopefully not, but it’s always best to be prepared for the worst where my dad and Christmas are concerned.”

Before Callum could reply, Ben’s phone started ringing.

“It’s Louise,” Ben said. “Hopefully she’s calling to say the whole thing’s cancelled and we can go back to bed.”

Ben slid his finger across the screen to take the call and held the phone up to his ear.

“Lou? You alright?”

“Ben?! Ben, please, you need you to get over here now...” 

Louise’s voice was frantic and tearful, her distress so loud that Callum could hear every word. He looked at Ben with a concerned frown.

“Lou? What’s happened? Is it Peggy?”

“No, it’s Dad. He’s going crazy, Ben. I...” Louise let out a piercing scream as the sound of furniture smashing came through the phone.

“Louise?! What’s happening?”

“It’s Dad...he said Keanu...and Sharon...what am I going to do, Ben?” Louise broke down sobbing and baby Peggy began to cry. 

“Lou, you’re not making any sense... what was that?” he asked frantically as he heard the sound of smashing glass. Before Louise could answer, Callum took the phone from Ben’s hand and gestured at him to get dressed.

“Louise?” Callum said, in a calm but strong voice. “Are you or Peggy hurt?”

“N...no,” Louise said tearfully, shushing her baby between her sobs.

“Okay, that’s good,” Callum said. “But you both need to get out of there. Can you get to the door?”  
“Yeah...”

“Right, you need to leave right now and go to Ian’s and both of you stay there until me and Ben get back. We’re gonna go over to your dad’s now, okay?”

“O...okay,” 

“Everything’s going to be fine,” Callum said soothingly as he heard Louise opening the door and closing it behind her. “You just need to keep yourself and Peggy safe. Do you want me to stay on the phone while you get to Ian’s?” 

“No, it’s fine. I’m nearly there,” Louise replied. 

“Alright, me and Ben will see you soon, okay?”

“Okay,” Louise said. “Thanks Callum.”

“No worries,” Callum said as Louise hung up.

Callum tossed Ben’s phone on the bed and quickly got dressed as Ben sat staring awestruck at him.

“You are amazing,” Ben said.

“Come on,” Callum urged him. “There’s a pregnant woman in that house.” 

Ben snapped himself out of his trance and both men ran down the stairs and out of the funeral parlour towards the Mitchell house. When they got there, they saw Jay leaving the house with his arm around a distraught Sharon.

“What’s happened?” Ben asked Jay.

“I dunno. Louise turned up at Ian’s in a right state so I came straight over. Your dad’s completely lost it.”

“Sharon?” Ben looked at her with concern. “What’s going on?”

“Not now, Ben,” Sharon sniffed tearfully.

“Where’s Dennis? Is he alright?” Callum asked.

“Yeah, he’s fine. He’s at Billy’s.”

“And Dad?” Ben asked.

Jay gestured towards the house. “Enter at your own risk,” he said as Ben pushed open the gate.

“We'll be fine, Jay" Callum said. “You get Sharon over to Ian’s, yeah?” 

“No, I can’t go there,” Sharon said hastily. “Not with Louise...I'll go to Dot’s.”

“Are you sure?” Jay asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” Sharon nodded tearfully.

“Okay, I'll walk you over there,” Jay said.

Ben and Callum watched Jay and Sharon walk away then headed into the Mitchell house. 

“Dad?” Ben called out as they walked through the kitchen door. They found Phil sitting on the living room floor, staring into space, furniture and broken glass scattered across the floor.

“Dad? What’s happened? Are you alright?”

Phil remained silent as if he hadn’t heard him.

“Where’s Keanu?” Ben asked, as Callum began picking the chairs up off the floor.

Phil suddenly leapt to his feet, his face red with rage. 

“Don’t you _ever_ mention that filthy little toerag's name in this house again, do you hear me?!!” he yelled.

“Fine by me,” Ben muttered darkly. “But what’s he done, Dad?”

Phil clammed up again, kicking over the coffee table before dropping onto the sofa with his head in his hands.

“Phil,” Callum said tentatively. “We can’t help you if you won’t tell us what’s wrong.”

“I don’t need your help!!” Phil yelled at Callum

“Oi! Don’t talk to him like that!” Ben immediately leapt to Callum’s defence.

“Well, get out then, both of you! Leave me alone!” 

“Phil, we just want to...”

“I said get out!!!” Phil shouted at Callum.

“Come on, babe,” Ben shrugged, taking Callum’s hand. “He ain’t worth the hassle.”

~

“I’m sorry,” Ben sighed heavily, tilting his head back to rest on Callum’s outstretched arm as they sat on the bench in the middle of the square. They’d left Phil’s and gone back to Ian’s, where Louise had tearfully revealed that the cause of the commotion at the Mitchells' was Phil’s discovery that Keanu was the father of Sharon’s unborn baby. Lisa had come over to the Beale house to comfort and support her daughter and once Louise had calmed down, Ben and Callum had walked Louise, Lisa and baby Peggy back to Mel's house.

“What are you sorry for?” Callum frowned.

“My dad ruining Christmas. I told you he’d kick off, didn’t I?”

“He hasn’t ruined it. And to be fair, he’s got a right to be upset.”

“Yeah, I suppose it’s not all his fault this time,” Ben shrugged. “Though some might say it serves him right. I knew Keanu was bad news but would he listen to me? No, of course not. He cut me out of his will for him, treated him more like a son than he ever has me...then you and me try to help him and he throws us out. So spare me the violins.”

“Don’t be too harsh on him, Ben.”

“Why shouldn’t I be?”

“Because whatever else he’s done, he’s just some bloke whose world's just fallen apart at Christmas.”

“Goodwill to all men, eh?” Ben scoffed. “There ain’t gonna be much of that when my dad catches up with Keanu.”

“Where do think he is? Keanu, I mean?”

“As far away from Walford as possible, if he’s got any sense. Oh wait...” Ben rolled his eyes. 

“Ben...”

“What? You’re not going to tell me I’m being too harsh on Keanu?”

“No, I was going to say can we change the subject? I don’t want to end our first Christmas together on a downer.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Ben said, taking Callum’s hand in his. “Quick drink in the Vic then back to mine?”

“Sounds good” Callum smiled, getting to his feet. 

They strolled hand in hand through the square towards the Vic until they reached the Christmas tree, when Ben stopped suddenly and turned to look at Callum.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

“What for?”

“For making this the best Christmas ever.”

“Right back atcha,” Callum smiled. “I love you, Ben Mitchell.”

“I love you too. Happy Christmas, babe.”

“Happy Christmas, gorgeous.”

The shining lights of the Christmas tree cast a warm, soft glow over the two men, shielding them from the cold night air as they drew each other close and melted into a deep, lingering kiss, their ears ringing to the sound of “All I Want For Christmas Is You" blasting out from the Vic.

**Author's Note:**

> "I wish you a hopeful Christmas  
> I wish you a brave new year  
> All anguish, pain and sadness  
> Leave your heart and let your road be clear  
> They said there'll be snow at Christmas  
> They said there'll be peace on earth  
> Hallelujah, Noel be it heaven or hell  
> The Christmas we get we deserve"*
> 
> I Believe In Father Christmas - Greg Lake
> 
> *except in Walford, of course...


End file.
